Mute



Sept. 21, 1954 D. SH UMAN MUTE Filed July 5, 195o lNvENToR DAws SHUMAN ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 21, 1954 UNITED `STATES PATENT OFFICE MUTE Davis Shuman, Brooklyn, N. Y. Application July 5, 1950, Serial No. 172,068

Z Claims. v l The present invention relates to ymutes for stringed instruments.

It has long been known that the tonal quality of a stringed instrument such as a violin, viola, cello, bass viol, guitar or the like can be changed or modified by damping the vibrations of the bridge by means of a mute. Mutes. of various sizes and shapes have been used to obtain various degrees of damping, but all of the prior art mutes have been used to damp the bridge directly.

I have found that new and different effects can be obtained and the timbre and tone color of an instrument controlled to an amazing degree by muting or damping the vibration of a mute by the application of a second mute. When a mute is in place on a bridge, the attachment of a second mute to the first mute has a substantially different effect than attachment of the second mute directly to the bridge. Existing mutes are designed to be used alone and are not adapted to have other mutes attached to them, and to obtain the new effects it is essential that a new and different mute be provided.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a mute formed'on its upper end to receive a second mute. .Y

`Another object is to. provide a mute which may itself be muted.

A further object is to provide a mute having a variable muting capacity.

These and other objects and advantages reside in certain novel features of construction, arrangement and combination of parts as will hereinafter be more fully set forth and pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a mute embodying my invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the mute shown in Figure 1;

Figures 3, 4 and 5 are side elevations of modified forms of mute;

Figure 6 is a top plan view of the mute shown in Figure Figure 7 is aside elevation of a further modified form of mute;

Figure 8 is a front elevation showing a plurality of my mutes in place on the bridge of a stringed instrument;

Figure 9 is a front elevation of a further modifled form of mute in place on the bridge of a stringed instrument;

Figure 10 is a section taken on line I0I0 of Figure 9; and

Figure 11 shows a portion of a violin with my mute in the keyhole slot of the tail piece.

The mute of my invention is shaped generally like mutes of the prior art and is applied to the bridge of an instrument in the same general way. In the embodiment shown in Figures l and 2 the mute comprises a body portion I0 having spaced legs or ngers II. These legs or fingers II are spaced longitudinally to grip the front and back of the bridge I2 and are spaced transversely to grip the bridge I2 Without interfering with the strings I3. Mutes have been made in a variety of shapes and sizes and with a variety of different forms of bridge gripping legs or fingers, and my mute can be made with almost any of these body shapes and gripping means.

The chief distinguishing feature of my mute is the formation of the top portion I4. A mute is ordinarily substantially thicker than the bridge so that the gripping legs or fingers will be longitudinally spaced sufficiently to grip the bridge, and the conventional mute has a body portion which is substantially the same thickness throughout. In my mute, the top portion I4 is thinner than the body portion I0 and is preferably of substantially the same thickness as the bridge. Because of this reduced top portion I4, a second mute can be placed on top of my mute and, if desired, a third mute placed on the second as shown in Figure 9. The top mute may be of conventional form or of my improved form since the top I4 of my mute has substantially the same shape as the bridge.

Figures 1 to 6 show several forms of my improved mute. In the form shown in Figures 1 and 2, the reduced top portion I4 extends along the middle of the body portion I0 and, in the modification shown in Figure 3, the reduced portion Illa extends along one side of the body. The reduced portion Mb of the modification shown in Figure 4 extends along one side of the body and is inclined toward the other side of the body while the reduced portion I4c shown in Figures 5 and 6 extends diagonally across the top of the body. While the body of my mute may be tapered Vin thickness to form the reduced upper portion, I prefer that the body form a definite shoulder at the bottom of the reduced portion to facilitate proper positioning of the second mute.

The modification shown in Figure 7, may be formed by fastening together two mutes of the type shown in Figure 3. This composite mute has two reduced portions I4a and may be fur- 4assenso 3 ther muted by placing a mute on either or both of these reduced portions.

In the modification shown in Figures 9 and 10, a mute I5 which may be of the form shown in Figures 1 and 2 for example, has vertical channels IB and II rmly secured to it. A second mute I8 is vertically slidable in the channels I6 and I`I` with suflicient friction so that the mute I8 will stay in anyselected position despite vibration of the bridge I2, In this modification, the mute I5 may be quickly damped or muted by pressing the mute I8 downward in the channels I6 and II until the fingers of mute I8 engage the reduced upper portion of mute I5.

The results with a single mute of the present invention is the usual, conventional tone quality. The use of two or more of my mutes .as sho-wn in Figure 8 for example, bring a richer .and more pleasing quality of tone as well as a variety of tone colors never before heard from the standard stringed `instrument used. This enables composers and music arrangers lto use stringed instruments in a greater scope of blending with wind instruments when the mute is used in multiple augmentations. Soloists may also Aachieve a greater exploitation of a `stringed instrument due to the new tone colors.

Any desired softness may be achieved by using a plurality of mutes and this softness is obtained without pitch distortion. Thus my mute permits practice in homes, vhotels or apartments without disturbing neighbors.

Figure 1-1 illustrates another ladvantage of my mute. Heretofore musicians have carried mutes in their pockets since there was no convenient, readily accessible place -on the instrument where the mute could be attached. Figure 11 shows a portion of a violin having a conventional body 20 and tail piece 2 I.V The strings I3 lare attached in the conventional keyhole slots 22 in the tail piece 2l. The reduced upper end I4 of my mute is ysuii'lciently thin to fit into a keyhole slot 22 in the tail piece 2i so that four of my mutes, one. for each keyhole slot, may be fastened in the vtail piece. The musician may thus have as many as four mutes in convenient `location where they may be quickly applied to the bridge or tc another mute.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that I am able to attain the objects of my invention and provide a new and improved mute Ior stringed instruments which is adapted to be further damped or muted to produce new and difierent tone color effects.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects illustrative and not restrictive, the

.scope of the invention being indica-ted by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within -the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by the VUnited States Letters Patent is:

l. A mute for stringed instruments comprising a Ibody portion of greater length than `width and having a lower surface and at upper surface. opposed fingers Aextending Adoiwnrnwardly from the lower surface adaoem me vopposite longitudinal edges thereof, and defining a longitudinal space of preselected luniform Width, a supporting `section extending upwardly from said not upper .surface, said supporting section being perpendicular to said `fiat `upper surface, located intermediate the longitudinal edges thereof and `being o! uniform thickness equal to the width of said space between said opposed fingers.

2. A multiple mute for stringed instruments comprising, in combination, a mute according to claim l and at least one additionai mute -identicai to said one mute, said uadditional mute being mounted on vsaid one Amute with `the supporting section of `said one mute disposed in frictional engagement between the spaced 4iingers of said additional mute.

References cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 299,299 Hotchkiss Feb. 12, .187B 335,872 Albert Ech. 9.. .1886

1,844,968 Vmidmhood `J-ime v29, 1920 

